March 25, 2013
Summit day
George’s Mt. Whitney team made it safely down the mountain after a successful summit, and they are now on their way home. Team #4 just checked in from the summit today with 100% on top!
Everyone is looking forward to their celebration dinner tomorrow night after they descend.
March 23, 2013
George just called in from the summit of Mt. Whitney…
Heading up towards the notch. (Tye Chapman)
“Pretty cold and windy, we almost turned at the notch. Probably blowing 40mph, but we kept on moving. We’re on top now and heading down in a few.”
That’s all for now.
Tye Chapman
March 22, 2013
Mt. Whitney Benchmark
All continues to go well on Mt. Whitney.
George called in from High Camp to report more good weather and another good forecast for their summit day tomorrow.
They’ll get up around 2:00am and get going shortly there after.
I’ll get another quick call from George tomorrow – hopefully with a summit report.
That’s all for now – enjoy your weekend!
Tye Chapman
March 21, 2013
George isn't known for his photography. (Photo by George Dunn)
Another beautiful day on Mt. Whitney, George Dunn reports. The team has just pulled into their first camp near Lower Boy Scout Lake. They’ll set up camp and just relax and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings – and some pasta primavera for dinner of course.
Tye Chapman
March 20, 2013
Mt. Whitney (Trent Carey)
George checked in from Lone Pine, CA today as he gears up for his next Whitney climb. So far so good this year – 2 teams on the mountain and both teams tagged the top!
He’ll meet his next group in the morning for some bacon and eggs then they’ll hit the trailhead for the hike to Camp 1 near Lower Boy Scout Lake.
Tye Chapman
March 18, 2013
Mt. Whitney
George Dunn, descending with the first Whitney trip after summiting on March 16, passed trip #2 led by Kurt Wedberg yesterday. The team all looked very fit and were heading up to their high camp at about 11,800’ on a beautiful day.
Kurt’s team is summiting today, and will report down to George after they descend back to high camp this evening. They should summit around noon today, weather permitting and will be back at high camp by 5pm to spend their final night on the mountain.
George Dunn
March 16, 2013
Whitney Sunrise. (Mayur Raghuveer)
Geo called in, after returning from High Camp, this afternoon to report another successful climb on Mt. Whitney. It was a cold and windy morning for sure – but it beats the heck out of a day in the office!
They’re all safe and sound at High Camp enjoying a nap and some dinner. Tomorrow they’ll head down to Lone Pine for their celebratory pizza and beer!
That’s it for now.
Tye Chapman
March 15, 2012
Heading to high camp.
IMG Partner George Dunn checked in last night around 7pm (PST) from Camp 1 (10,000ft.) near Lower Boy Scout Lake on Mt. Whitney. The guys put in a good hard day. post-holing at times up the steep terrain, and were rewarded with a nice ‘balmy’ evening in camp.
Today they’ll pack up and head to their High Camp (12,200ft.).
All is well on Mt. Whitney.
Tye Chapman
April 9, 2012
A view at Mt. Whitney (photo: Becky Beamish)
The weather remained periodically windy and cooler than normal in the Eastern Sierra this spring.
Our record of success started to grow with the fourth and fifth Whitney climbs both racking up 100% successes. Then we just got word from the sixth and final Whitney team whose summit day was today. It was windy all last night and they got a late start for the summit today. Winds continued to gust as high as 50 mph today, and most of the team hiked up to Iceberg Lake, 11,300 feet before turning back due to the weather. They will descend all the way to Whitney Portal today, and have the option of going rock climbing in Owens River Gorge tomorrow on their final day.
So the record for this year was not stellar, but not too bad either:
Mt. Whitney #1 March 22-25, Summit!
Mt. Whitney #2 March 24-27, turned back at first camp due to weather, finished the trip with a day of ice climbing and a day of rock climbing.
Mt. Whitney #3 March 29-April 1, turned back just short of the summit at 14,000 feet due to high winds
Mt. Whitney #4 March 31-April 3, Summit!
Mt. Whitney #5 April 5-8, Summit!
Mt. Whitney #6 April 7-10, turned back at Iceberg Lake, 11,300 feet due to high winds.
For the record, we were 50% to the summit this year, which is by my reckoning the worst success rate we have ever had for these programs in the spring. We’ll hope for a return to the usual good Sierra weather next spring.
My sincere thanks to all who participated in the Whitney climbs this spring. What a fun time, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll hope to see you next year!
George Dunn
April 1, 2012
The Notch (Photo by Tye Chapman)
George checked in after a rough climb of Mt. Whitney this weekend with a report of increasingly high winds (60mph) and cold weather which turned the team around just below the notch (14,000ft) on summit day. And upon arrival back at camp, things didn’t get much better – the winds picked up so much that the team opted to pack it up, get out of dodge, and get back to Lone Pine. A long day for sure, but the safe decision sometimes requires more work than you’d like.
Climb #4 is moving up to high camp today with hopes of some better weather (read moderate winds).
Tye Chapman